The present invention relates to steam generators and more particularly to a support arrangement for bottom supported steam generating units.
A bottom supported unit is one where the pressure parts are supported from lower headers resting on upright columns positioned therebeneath. It has been the practice to station columns at the ends of respective headers and to provide the columns with bearing plates and the headers with saddle supports and to insert graphite lubricated pads between corresponding bearing plates to accommodate lateral and longitudinal thermal expansion of the unit as it is brought up to operating temperature.
This has proven to be a costly support structure particularly as related to horizontally disposed units having a relatively large number of vertical tube platens which are individually supported from separate lower headers.